Behind the Scenes

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Biosystems engineers integrate biology and engineering to solve problems related to food, health, energy, and the environment. Meet biosystems engineering (BE) faculty and students and learn about exciting research and design projects related to harmful algal blooms, bioreactors for energy, growing sustainable Christmas trees, robots for sustainable agriculture, and more! Restore a model urban stream using stream bioengineering techniques and tour a pilot-scale food safety processing plant. Watch the MSU Fountain Wars Team shoots balls from their hockey-themed fountain while the BE robotics team tests their egg-collecting robot. 

Learn more about Biosystems Engineering Research and Design Showcase

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Many people know their clinical specimens get sent to the medical laboratory, but what happens next? Who performs the testing, and how is it done? Tour the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics program and explore the different disciplines of the medical laboratory, do some hands-on medical laboratory activities, and learn about the scientists who perform medical laboratory testing every day!

Learn more about Experience Medical Laboratory Science!

Appropriate for: Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Visit our lab to see how we utilize "optical tweezers" that use lasers to reach out, grab, and manipulate individual swimming cells. It is a very interactive, hands-on method with video game-like joystick action. We invite the public to use our microscope and try to catch and grab hold of live cells and interact with them. We will learn about cells from the bottom up, and about the latest in technology that allows us to see and interact with individual cells and molecules.

Learn more about Laser Tweezers: Reach Out and Grab Bacteria!

Appropriate for: Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Tour the MSU Libraries Hollander Makerspace! The Makerspace is an alternative learning environment and gathering space that encourages cross-discipline collaboration, experimentation, and learning. See a variety of 3D printers and learn about our technologies available to everyone, including the public!

Learn more about Makerspace Open House

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Iron, or oak gall, ink was the standard ink used for centuries, but it’s so acidic that it often eats through paper, especially when it’s exposed to light. Join the MSU Libraries and explore the science of this ink! You will have a chance to dissect an oak gall and learn about the wasp that makes the gall, peek through a microscope to explore the damage oak gall ink can cause, use goose feather quills to write with the ink, and pick up a recipe to make ink at home!

Learn more about Nothing Galling Here! The Science of Oak Gall Ink

Appropriate for: Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Take a tour on the banks of the Red Cedar and learn about the environmental history of the river at the heart of MSU’s campus. This 1.2 mile round-trip walk will start at the MSU Main Library and loop from the Kalamazoo Street Bridge to Farm Lane and back, with stops to describe some interesting historical and environmental features of the river. Please wear comfortable shoes (in case of rain the program will be inside the Main Library).

Learn more about Red Cedar River Environmental History Walking Tour

Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join For-Mar Preserve & Arboretum naturalists and seek out plants, animals, insects, and more to add to a community science project! This 1-1.5 mile hike does have some stops, hills, and exposed roots/dips. Please wear closed-toe shoes and dress for the weather. 

Join the Science Festival's iNaturalist BioBlitz project to get started or request a paper nature journal from For-Mar preserve staff. Please pre-register by calling 810-736-7100 ext 6. 

Learn more about Sunday Stroll: BioBlitz Edition

Appropriate for: Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

We invite attendees of the MSU Science Festival to come to our lab to see how we study vocal tract movements in real time using electromagnetic articulography. Using the technology, we can get very precise spatial and temporal information about the movement of the tongue and lips as they are used during human speech production. This allows us to test theories of speech articulations and other theories that people have about their own languages.

Learn more about Studying the Human Vocal Tract in Real Time

Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Explore the world-class Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), where nuclei are smashed into a target at nearly half the speed of light! Our tour takes you behind the scenes where nuclei are accelerated, smashed, and studied. The secrets we learn could help explain what happens in supernovae and the origins of elements that make up the human body. Adults will need to complete a permission form for any minors in their party. This tour will be limited to the first 50 visitors in line; others will be invited to the virtual tour at Abrams Planetarium.

Learn more about Tour the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Explore a world-class rare isotope laboratory where nuclei are smashed into a target at half the speed of light! Our new 1500-foot-long linear accelerator and the research spaces inside MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will be revealed with images, 3D models, and animations projected on the dome. Our “virtual tour” takes you to many locations that would normally be inaccessible!

Learn more about A Virtual Tour of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

Appropriate for: Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join us for an evening filled with croaks, trills, and splashes from some of our favorite frog friends. Come learn all about the frogs that call Michigan home. We will kick off the evening with a brief introduction to frog calls followed by a hike to various frog habitats including vernal ponds and wetlands. The hike will include multiple stations spread over approximately 1 mile of uneven terrain. Participants will receive resources on frogs, including a book and fact sheets. While all ages are welcome, this program will require walking off-trail and on old footpaths.

Learn more about Springtime Frog Walk

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

This free, family-friendly event is packed with exciting eco-friendly activities, outdoor adventures and opportunities to protect our planet. Dive into participatory science initiatives that help protect our waterways and connect with local conservation experts through engaging demonstrations that showcase the power of sustainability. Don’t miss this chance to go green!

What to Expect:

• Sustainability education stations
• Nature hikes
• Eco-friendly arts and crafts
• Conservation presentations
• A Michigan State University BioBlitz
• Beekeeper talks
• And much more!

Learn more about Experience Greenfest!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Celebrate all things reduce, reuse, recycle with a day at the campus recycling center and thrift store. Go secondhand shopping, tour the material recovery facility and vermicompost hoophouse, make upcycled crafts, deconstruct electronics to discover more about e-waste, and enjoy some freecycling! Details and additional activities TBA at msurecycling.com/event-details/. Let's go green!

Learn more about Earth Bash

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join us for a tour through MSU’s Rachana Rajendra Neotropical Migrant Bird Sanctuary. Located in the Baker Woodlot property on campus, the sanctuary provides an urban refuge for wildlife and people to enjoy year-round. The sanctuary is home to a diverse ecosystem of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Come out and experience the sanctuary to learn about its inhabitants and what makes it such a special place!

Learn more about Exploring the Rachana Rajendra Bird Sanctuary

Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join For-Mar Preserve & Arboretum naturalists and seek out plants, animals, insects, and more to add to a community science project! This 1-1.5 mile hike does have some stops, hills, and exposed roots/dips. Please wear closed-toe shoes and dress for the weather. 

Join the Science Festival's iNaturalist BioBlitz project to get started or request a paper nature journal from For-Mar Preserve staff. Please pre-register for this event by calling 810-736-7100 ext 6. 

Learn more about Sunday Stroll: BioBlitz Edition

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join us at the MSU Bug House for a free open house in partnership with the MSU Science Festival! Visitors will be able to observe museum displays featuring insects from around the globe, plus meet and handle live beetles, isopods, cockroaches, and more! Our knowledgeable guides will be available to introduce our live bugs and answer questions about their biology.

Learn more about Explore the Amazing World of Insects at the Bug House!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join us for a casual-paced bike tour of MSU's campus! Along the way you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at many of MSU's gardens, museums, and research facilities.

This event is open to all skill levels. Bikes will be available to rent through MSU Bikes. 

Learn more about Pedal Through Science!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

MSU’s Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center is a hub for natural resources education, research, and public engagement located just 20 minutes from campus. Join us for a fun morning of science demonstrations, interactive activities for all ages, guided marsh exploration, an art show, and more! The Corey Marsh Bird Banding Station will also be open (weather permitting) – come learn about how we capture and band migratory birds – you might even get an opportunity to have a bird placed in your hand during the release process!

Learn more about Ecology Extravaganza

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Let's celebrate all things nature! March is reading month and April is for the Earth! This Earth Day and Arbor Day event puts literacy in the spotlight and features guest readers, a pop-up shop by Turn the Page Books, and guided hikes. If you love adventure and imagination, join us for at this open house-style program. 

Storytime Schedule

Readers will start on the half hour between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Guided BioBlitz Hike Schedule: 

• Bird is the Word: 11:30‒12 p.m.
• A Bug's Life: 12:30‒1:30 p.m.
• It's an Arboretum, not a Burrito: 2‒3 p.m.

Learn more about Dear Earth: Literacy in Nature

Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Visit the MSU Bioretention Research Facility and learn about how rain gardens can be used to treat stormwater and prevent flooding.  Rain gardens are small bioretention systems that capture and treat stormwater using soils, microbes, and plants.   Investigate how plants impact rates of water entry into soils using infiltrometer measurements and soil moisture meters.  Learn how to build your own infiltrometer to contribute to research on which plants are best for rain gardens.  Explore other ecosystems services provided by rain gardens through our Bioretention EcoServices Scavenger hunt. 

Learn more about The Science and Engineering of Rain Gardens